With festive celebrations approaching across the country, debates surrounding environmental quality and seasonal air pollution have intensified once again. Following the intense political and online backlash faced by actor and social worker Dia Mirza for her appeal to avoid fireworks, veteran film personality Soni Razdan has now stepped forward with a similar message. Soni Razdan, who is also the mother of actor Alia Bhatt, shared a statement on her official Instagram handle urging citizens to refrain from bursting crackers during the upcoming festivities.
Soni Razdan Highlights Health Hazards and School Absences
Addressing the escalating pollution crisis across India, and particularly within Mumbai, Soni Razdan articulated that setting off fireworks under current atmospheric conditions works directly against the welfare of the country. She termed the practice detrimental to public health and described it as contrary to national interest given the existing smog levels.
To underline the everyday human cost of poor air quality, the veteran actor drew attention to the struggles faced by families with young children. She noted that asking parents of young kids reveals the intense physical suffering their children undergo due to respiratory problems caused by airborne pollutants. She pointed out that these pollution-related illnesses frequently force young students to fall sick and miss vital days of school, disrupting their health and education alike.
Labeling Fireworks as Harmful to Life, Health, and Society
Taking a firm stance against any justification for seasonal crackers, Soni Razdan maintained that defending the practice in such vulnerable conditions is unacceptable. She wrote that if anyone argues that bursting even a single cracker remains acceptable in these circumstances, she views such an act as fundamentally anti-life, anti-health, and anti-national. According to her, health is an intentional choice that individuals make for their personal well-being and for the protection of their young ones.
The Backdrop of the Dia Mirza Controversy and Bombay High Court Order
This public appeal closely follows the widespread controversy surrounding Dia Mirza, who had participated in an awareness initiative designed to minimize festive fireworks. Dia Mirza featured in an awareness video produced for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which quickly triggered heavy political friction. The resulting outcry prompted the video to be pulled down from digital platforms.
However, the matter soon witnessed a judicial turnaround when the Bombay High Court intervened in the dispute and instructed authorities that the awareness video be reposted. Throughout that episode, Dia Mirza was subjected to intense online trolling, with several political figures and entertainment industry colleagues publicly criticizing her and telling her not to offer unsolicited guidance during Hindu celebrations.
Preemptive Measures to Curb Digital Backlash
Aware of the aggressive online vitriol that unfolded during the recent municipal campaign row, Soni Razdan chose to take defensive steps on her social media page. She turned off the comments section on her Instagram post, preventing users from leaving remarks beneath her message. This choice is directly linked to the hostility observed in the previous controversy, serving as a measure to avoid digital harassment while still making her environmental appeal public.
